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bsdMonths ago there was discussion on this forum if the name should be changed being Rogov had passed away.When he died there was discussion of what his real name was. How much does it mean ? What does a name tell us ? Is facial recognition more or less telling ? Can you imagine a Name before the details unfold.Its reach would be beyond time and would include all possibilities. Perhaps most importantly the possibility to start anew.Have a good one; h

A little name story. I was blessed as a older father,after being married for the 1st time only at 45 years old, to have a daughter born 9 months after our honeymoon. My wife and I searched the internet for names for our daughter, before she was born, and we both were struck by the beauty and simplicity of the name Liyah - my wife also told me its meaning and that seemed appropriate too. Only after we brought Liyah to the US for the 1st time, for a 2nd honeymoon with family to Niagra Falls and even California (SF area), we discovered that my father's grandmother was also named Liyah. I had barely remembered her...

Now about wine. During my decade plus here in Israel from 1997 to 2007 I thought Barkan was an under-appreciated producer of fine QPR wines, especially in their upper tier series such as the Barkan Reserved, the Altitude, and the Superiore. A few weeks ago my hosts here, the owners of the tiny Beit El Winery, told me they had drank an excellent Barkan wine at a family wedding (only were offered it after they complained about the bottle on the table and said they were wine producers) "in a heavy bottle with a silver label". I suggested it must have been a Barkan Superiore and they said yes, that was it, excellent! Sorry they didn't recall the vintage...

I had been saving a beef rib roast for some Shabbat together after we'd put our wines "to bed" in barrels, and this Shabbos was the date I would prepare the roast. (BTW, it came out great and I made a red wine pan dripping gravy for it with caramelized onions and fresh rosemary.) I had purchased 2 2008 (yeah I know Shmitta wines) Barkan reds for the roast, the Reserved Merlot "14 months" (barrel age) and the Reserved Cabernet Sauvignon "20 months." While both were rich and dark and amply oaked, both were also disappointing because of a marked lack of fresh clean fruit on the nose. 2008 to 2013 is not a lot of time for a big red wine to mature, certainly not to mature to the point of being on the downhill side of their vinous lives. The Cab was in better shape than the Merlot a bit as expected, but both wines had clear oxidative traits on the nose, and noted browning at the rim. I could get into some detail about what I think may have happened, given that I visited Barkan not too long before then and they were proud to show off some of their modern wine making technology, but as a producer I feel it's wrong to speculate in that regard. So I will leave it at - I expected better, I expected excellence and these didn't deliver.

Hi Harry.We celebrated our daughter's Shabbat Kalla (bride's last Shabbat before her wedding) and her birthday with GHW Katzrin 2003 and Yarden Syrah Tel Phares 2006.Mazal Tov to Forum member Steve Weil and to his wife Susie on the birth of a grandson yesterday.Shavua Tov. Zvi

Binyamina, Reserve Zinfandel 2007: I was very lucky this week to find a bottle of a wine that supposedly disappeared from the shelves a long time ago. And what a nice wine indeed, with a delightful red fruit profile (as opposed to the Dalton that is usually blue). Each and every vintage of this wine is very different and whereas the 2007 and 2008 were excellent, I disliked very much the 2009 that I had a few months ago. So 'nuff said. Aged 14 months in American and French oak barrels. Beautiful dark blood red in color with on the nose strawberry jam and vanilla, full-bodied with on the palate almost jammy strawberries, followed by ripe raspberries and sweet cherries with a hint of licorice, pepper and nice vanilla with nicely integrated tannins on the long, smooth finish. Absolutely delicious. Drink now if you still have some left.

A satisfying glass of Carmel 100 brandy topped off the meal.

Shabbat lunch:

GHW, Yarden Syrah 2006: Excellent as always with quite a few years ahead of it.

2009 Tishbi Malbec. Delicious. Although I haven't tasted the Teperberg Malbec in awhile, this seemed more fruit forward.

Odd thing: After the shmittah thread of last week I started looking at labels, and there, nestled in the between the kashrut certifications, is a Vegan! certification. What are they referring to? Fining agents? Egg whites?

Weinstock Moscato by W (2011?)- I used this as an aperitif, and found it very enjoyable. It is sweet but not cloying--and never mind that the label declares it semi-sweet--with an array of delicate notes of fruit. Its 8% AbV, lends the wine a seriousness that the Moscato D'Astis that are sold in the kosher market do not have. While not complex, it is a good alternative to the Muscat I usually have that is sold under various labels: Mony, Kinneret and Efrat, and is by far superior to the "Blue" bottle. C+/***

Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - After having bottles of the '04 and '03 vintages, of late, whose fruit shone brightly and clearly, I was expecting more of the same from the '05, an expectation that didn't materialize. Perhaps the wine is in a closed phase. The tannins were lovely, very pronounced and mouth coating. Drinking the wine was like sucking on thick skins. The berry fruit flavors were hiding in the background, leaving the main stage to be dominated by minty flavors, that at times were enjoyable and at others had too much of an alcoholic bend for my liking. Complimenting the mint was a nice, but delicate dose of chocolate, that I don't typically sense with Hagafen's Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5 AbV and mevushal. B-/**

Isaac Chavel wrote:Odd thing: After the shmittah thread of last week I started looking at labels, and there, nestled in the between the kashrut certifications, is a Vegan! certification. What are they referring to? Fining agents? Egg whites?

A good week to all,

Isaac

Funny, this topic pops up on Twitter all the time - kosher wine is vegan, which by the way is not 100% true. Most kosher wine is indeed vegan, as the animal options for filtering the wine is indeed not very "kosher" - though the filtering mechanism does not stay with the wine as it falls out when the filtering is complete.

David Raccah wrote:YEAY! I finally got in early enough - not to be embarrassed. Though next week will not be that early, as it will be one of those theme shabbos meals - and those are a pain to write up.

Shavua Tov HarryBeen away for awhile but this Shabbos we enjoyed a Bottle of the Dalton Matatia as well as a 2006 vintage Yarden CabThe Matatia was easy drinking ( perhaps too easy ) and just a delight to drink . Nothing overpowering but yet enjoyable The Yarden CS is the old reliable . Powerful wine with a delightful long finish

Spent Shabbos in Miami, so that means lots of Ella Valley, which is the only wine available in Miami at a sane price, being that it's imported by local importer Victor. Other than the Ever-Red, the Ella wines are consistently fantastic, so no complaints there. Other than that, some wines kindly delivered from Israel by Elchonon and his brother.

2009 Ventura Cabernet Franc: A-/** Awesome CF, although not showing as well as last time I had it in Israel last year. Hits all the right green notes.

2010 Ella Valley Chardonnay: B++/*** Very crisp chardonnay. Nice acidity and clean fruit, with just a touch of oak to hold it together without overpowering.

2011 Ella Valley Sauvignon Blanc: B+ to A-/** Just what you want a SB to be! Tart acidity, clean fruit, and a long zesty finish.

2007 Ella Valley Merlot: B++/*** Very fruit forward. Medium to full body. Almost sweet but not at all cloying. Delicious.

2007 Ella Valley Syrah: A-/*** Still going strong! Very elegant alternative to the big, bold syrahs coming out of Israel.

8 Year Kinor DAAAAAAAAAvid (for Gabe ) K'Port: A/***

10 Year Kinor David K'Port: A-/**

I know I promised TNs for the KDs but that will have to wait for another day when I have the time and patience...

Friday night - Capcanes Peraj Ha'abib 2010 - Very elegant and enjoyable wine, though I was expecting a much more powerful / fruit forward wine (based on a tasting of it about a year ago). Dark garnet in color with a mouth and nose of forest berries and very soft tannins. Seemed a little closed and I think it will benefit from some more time in the cellar.

Firday, Shabbos, Sunday - Quevedo Ruby Port - A young port, not as complex as others I've enjoyed in the past, it was not that good when opened initially but it improved greatly the next day. The alcohol is nicely hidden in the wine and the mouth is lively and fruity but with an interesting aftertaste that I am not fond of (this dissipated a lot by the next day). On Sunday that aftertaste was totally gone and it was even better. I would like to see how this one holds up over the next few days and weeks. Also, it was much better as it warmed up in the glass.

David Raccah wrote:Elie - did you not LOVE the Ella Valley SB? Lin is doing a great job with her white wines, want to know what the red wines will look like.

I did LOVE it! "Just what you want a SB to be!" Isn't that a ringing endorsement?Maybe I was a bit stingy on the scoring, but I had so many great wines that weekend, I couldn't score EVERYTHING A- and up.The Ella Merlot was also absolutely delicious. But both the merlot and SB were rather straightforward wines--i.e., not terribly complex. So I figured not quite A-... but quite close!